Forgotten
by I'mWishingforaStarRod
Summary: I hate it; being tossed aside like a broken toy; being shoved out of the way for the likes of more interesting characters. Am I no more than an old, obscure playable character? Why does no one pay attention to the likes of me? Why am I forgotten?
1. The Power of Shadow

The man stood perfectly still and watched two women walk past him. He straightened up, not wanting to get in their way, and hid in the shadows, anxious.

He didn't like talking to women.

Or anyone, really.

The man breathed out silently , and crept closer towards the kitchen. Unluckily for the man, the two women were inside, gossiping. The one dressed entirely in pink was chatting nonstop about how her boyfriend blushed so hard when she kissed him on the nose, and how she was baking him a cake for a special treat.

The man gave a small, internal sigh, knowing full well the woman wouldn't even bother trying to make the cake herself. She usually bought one at a bakery or told one of her mushroom-like servants to make one.

The other woman was more elegant, and only spoke to make small comments or agreements. She had wavy brown hair done up in tight plaits, was wearing a purple and white dress, and was playing a gentle, tinkly tune on a golden harp. The soft music drifted through the man's nonexistent ears, soothing his troubled mind.

He wished he could have the kitchen all to himself so he could cook.

Cooking was a stress reliever to the man. It was his way to relax. It was also his way to fight at the tournament in which he was currently inlisted.

He didn't want to fight, but he had to anyway.

His fighting style mostly consisted of normal things he used for recreation at his hometown, like dumping water out of his goldfish's bowl, waving ceremonial bells, and flipping pancakes.

Pancakes were his specialty.

The man remained standing, but shifted his weight from his left and right side. He couldn't sit down. He never did. After waiting for half an hour, The women (who he believed to be princesses) left the kitchen, paying the man no mind.

He hated being paid no mind and forgotten.

**_-pagebreak-_**

The smell of cooking pancakes wafted through the enormous house the contestants of the fighting tournament were staying in. The man flipped another pancake onto a plate, where a tall stack was currently standing. He offered them wordlessly to several passers by, one a penguin, one a pink gumball, and one a green dinosaur. Soon, cries of pain and sounds of fighting were heard several rooms away. The man gave an internal smile. He was glad they liked his cooking.

The man had just poured some more pancake batter onto a frying pan to make another pancake when someone grabbed his throat from behind.

The man couldn't turn around. He could tell that it was that large evil king from the same universe as the purple princess, though. He had been in that powerful grip before.

The man gave a deep, thundering laugh, and pulled the man away from the stove, where the pancake was beginning to burn.

**_-pagebreak-_**

The man wanted to cry out, in pain, in warning, ANYTHING, but he knew his cries would be unneeded. The man couldn't speak the same language as the rest. All that anyone else heard was a series of electronic beeps.

He wanted to yell at the evil king. What was his name? Gerudo? Ganon? The man was terrible with names.

The powerful grip of the evil overlord finally loosened as the man was dumped in some sort of light blue cylinder. He tried to cry out, "What do you want from me?!" But all that came out was a series of beeps.

The evil king gave another booming laugh, seemingly understanding the man's strange language. "I want your power of shadows, Mr. Game and Watch."

**My first Smash Bros fic! This may actually become a series, telling stories about the more obscure and lesser talked-about characters in the Smash Universe. If you have suggestion, please send me a PM! (Reviews could spoil suprises!)**

**This actually is how I think Mr. Game and Watch was dragged into the events of the Subspace Emissary. The shadow bugs were made out of his abilities to be 2D in a 3D environment...**

**Ah, I think about head canon too much...**

**Please fave, follow, and review if you liked this!**

StarRod


	2. Am I a Joke?

The woman stood in a long line of peculiar creatures, all hoping to be selected for the world's greatest fighting tournament. The woman nervously fiddled with her ponytail while she stood in line, the hot pavement burning onto her bare feet.

She wanted to fight so she could train in a whole new exciting way, and she wanted to help some of the weaker fighters get in shape. She braided her hair, then let it down again, nervous. She glanced at a shard of glass on the sidewalk. She gazed at her reflection.

The woman was remarkably pale, had plain brown hair, and no other interesting features. She always wore tight-fitting workout clothes, and never wore shoes.

Yeah, her brother always called her a workout freak, but then again, so was he.

After giving her "name" (she was really paranoid about security these days) and her brother's name just for kicks, she went to the local fitness center to start training some of her newer clients.

She lived for a healthy workout session.

**_-pagebreak-_**

"You did WHAT?!"

The woman sweatdropped. "Hey, I thought you might want to come to the tournament with me, even if we can't fight together. Besides, we might not even get in."

The man gave a smile. "Yeah, we probably won't even make it in. Who am I to worry about it? Now c'mon, let's go to the gym."

The siblings walked out the front door, remembering to lock it. They checked the mailbox, and saw one letter inside, made of thick parchment and emblazoned with a red smash symbol.

The woman and her brother had been selected to fight in the smash tournament.

-**_pagebreak_**-

"Ladies and gentlemen, boys, girls, oddments! Welcome to the fourth annual Smash tournament!" What appeared to be a giant hand appeared on a dusty stage, making announcements about who-knows-what. The woman wasn't paying any attention, she was just daydreaming.

Someone poking the woman in the back brought her back to earth with a start. What was it? A giant turtle? _This world is so bizarre... She thought. _

"Joke. Why are you here? You gonna teach us all how to eat healthier or somethin?"

The turtle laughed, along with a fat man dressed in a biker's outfit. The woman blushed, and looked at her bare feet. She had been there five minutes, and already she wanted to leave.

"Hey, shut up, Bowser."

A boy about 12 stood in front of the woman, arms stretched out. He had...wings? Was he an angel?

The turtle, Bowser, huffed. "Ha, like I would take orders from a wimpy general like you. I could use your stupid bow as a toothpick."

The woman waked in front of the boy, and promptly kicked the turtle where the sun doesn't shine.

"Go away or I'll hula hoop your face like nobody's business, you...you...tortoise reject!"

She grabbed the angel's hand. "Come on, let's leave these jerks."

**_-pagebreak-_**

The angel walked nxt to the woman, a small smile on his young face. "Are you a newcomer? I haven't seen you around here before."

She turned and smiled back. "Yeah. Are you a veteran?"

He nodded eagerly. "Come on! I'll show you around! There's the rooms, the kitchen, the foyer, the training room, the rec center, the theatre..."

The woman spent the afternoon with the angel, training, him showing her around, hanging out withy he Assist Trophies, and meeting some of the other fighters. After asking the angel, she found out was actually a lot older than she was. Her shy personality clashed with his optimistic one, but they quickly became fast friends.

They were walking towards the kitchen for dinner, talking about nothing in particular. In line, she found a pink puffball and a completely 2D man serving them dinner. The pink puff waved. The woman awkwardly waved back.

The angel smiled. "That's Kirby. Don't worry, he's harmless...some of the time."

The woman sat at a nearly empty table where some tithed people where sitting. The angel sat next to a woman with green hair, and the woman sat next to a man with white hair and what she assumed was a trench coat.

The man smiled as she sat down. "Good evening, my lady. My name is Robin."

"Hi..." The woman replied shyly.

The angel immediately began talking to the woman about a fighter he met today. "So if a maskless Meta Knight swallowed a masked Meta Knight, what would he look like?"

The green-haired woman laughed. She turned to the woman in front of her. "Hello, are you a newcomer too?"

The woman nodded.

"Yeah, I am. What's your name, ma'am?"

The angel facepalmed. "I completely forgot to ask your name! I'm Pit; and this is Lady Palutena! What's your name?"

The woman extended her hand. "Call me the Wii Fit Trainer."

**EEE! I ship it now! What shall we call it? **

**Hmmm...**

**How about **

**WII PIT TRAINER?!**

**Perfect!**

**Please vote in my poll for who you want to see in future chapters!**

**See y'all,**

**StarRod**


	3. I Know Who You Are

H**ey y'all! Thanks a million for reading! **

**(I do respond to every review, follow, and fave if you have an account, and if you're a guest, I respond at the beginning of the next chapter.)**

**Guest (who needs a cool smash name so I herby dub you Nintendawg): G&amp;W can speak, just in a binary language the other smashers can't understand. And thank you :)**

**And if you want to hear about the Wii Fit characters being jokes, just watch a smash roster YouTube video. **

I Know Who You Are... (Part one)

A man stood near a garden, and watched a blonde girl pick an apple from a nearby tree in the Smash Mansion's courtyard, putting them in a pink basket. It was thanks to the newcomer called Villager that the tree had grown so quickly. He seemed to have a knack for gardening.

The man rembered when the tree was first planted. They were in dark times back then.

The Melee Tournament.

The man adjusted his iconic red cap, and fell asleep in the morning sun, memories of Melee running through his unconscious mind.

Soft snoring noises and mumbling sleep-talk drew the blonde girl's attention, she quickly fetched a blanket and covered the man with it.

She kissed him on the nose, and left when he began to blush.

**_-pagebreak-_**

All had seemed to go well at the second annual Smash Tournament. The man had been there at the last one, and it had all gone well. He just wished that Kirby hadn't beaten him so badly in the final match. Holy Star Bits, that was embarrassing...

The man walked into the theatre, sitting next to his twin brother, who smiled nervously when he sat down. Turing his attention to the stage, he saw the giant Master Hand beginning to address the crowd of twelve.

"Ladies and gentlemen, puffballs and Pokemon, gorillas and whatever is under Samus' Power suit!"

"Not telling!" A voice came from a robotic suit two rows behind the man.

"Welcome to the second annual Smash Tournament! As you all know, I am Master Hand. We have some exciting news for you all! We invited some more fighters to join our roster!"

All of them cheered, hoping to see their friends, or even their enemies. Members of different shapes and sizes stepped on the dusty stage, smiling and cheering.

Link saw Zelda, Ganondorf, and a younger version of himself join the fray.

Pikachu and Jigglypuff had Pichu and Mewtwo.

Two newcomers named Marth and Roy came from a place none of them knew of.

Various others were introduced, and the man was beginning to lose interest. Where were the people he knew? Ness and Kirby were already sad because they didn't have any newcomers to represent their home worlds, so they went off to go play video games.

"And finally," Master Hand announced, "the newcomers from the Mushroom Kingdom!"

A blonde woman dressed all in pink and a giant turtle was introduced. The man was excited to see the woman, and angered when he saw the turtle.

"Wait a second, you all. There's one more."

Another man stepped onto the stage. He was wearing a doctor's coat and stethoscope, and held a gigantic pill in his right hand. He looked exactly like the man in red. His mouth was an angry frown, glaring angrily at the man.

The doctor gave a small nod to the crowd, then sat on the man's other side. The man glared at the doctor.

"Who are-a you?" He asked with a tone of suspicion in his accented voice. His brother hid his face in his arms. "Why do you look just-a like me? I'm-a pretty sure Momma only had twins."

The doctor gave a malevolent smirk, and looked the man straight in the eyes. "Simple. I'm-a you, Mario."

**OH MAN ITS-A MARIO SHOWDOWN!**

**Mario: Would you BE QUIET?! IM-A TRYING TO SLEEP!**

**Me: Sorry...**

** -whispers- Hope you all had a happy thanksgiving and have a happy Black Friday!**


	4. But What am I?

Chapter 4: ..But What Am I? (Part Two)

**My finals begin tomorrow; wish me luck!**

Mario woke with a start.

Gasping, he looked around at the Smash Courtyard. He sat up, kicking a pink blanket off of him. He smiled. _How nice of The Princess,_ he thought. Who ELSE would give Mario a pink blanket? Well, maybe Nana would, but she hates going out in the warm weather.

Thankfully, it was still morning. Mario jumped up and ran into the mansion. Master hand as announcing the newcomers for the new Smash tournament today.

Mario was no longer worried about whether or not the doctor would return, but he still had nightmares about it. The doctor's malevolent smirk, the way he could copy his every move...

He knew the doctor was a clone, but he didn't know it was meant literally until recently.

Mario calmly walked into the foyer of the smash mansion, only to find it deserted. Everyone else must be in the theatre for the announcement of the newcomers.

The plumber cautiously opened the door to the theatre, and saw every starter characters sitting in the plush velvet seats, and Mario was suprised to see his brother as well as the princess in pink and Bowser.

"You're a basic fighter this year?" He asked in suprise. His brother nodded, smiling.

Talking and laughing, the delegates from the Mushroom Kingdom sat together in plastic seats. Most were excited to see who would be in the tournament. Many rumors had gone around, and some of the fighters from the 2008 tournament werent coming back.

Ness had succumbed to a sort of depression; his friends Lucas, Popo, and Nana weren't returning to fight in the latest tournament. Kirby came over to hug him. Sniffling, Ness and Kirby walked to the rec room to play video games. Mario gave a shudder. He had déjà Vu for some reason...

After about five minutes of this strange uneasiness, Masted Hand floated nonchalantly in front is the countless plastic chairs. "Hello, and welcome to the fourth annual-ish Smash Brothers tournament! We will now be announcing the newcomers and the secret fighters!"

Master Hand waved to a stage, where a yellow circle, a blue robot, and a slender woman in workout clothes stepped out and waved shyly. Mario noticed that Pit was jumping up in his seat; waving to the woman.

Others were introduced; Mario was glad to see more people he knew: the space Princess Rosalina, Bowser's son and the Koopalings, and a fighter he recognized form the Melee tournament: Mewtwo.

Mario froze. If someone from a previous tournament could return...that meant someone Mario had nightmares about could return...

As if reading Mario's thoughts, Master Hand stepped up to the stage. "Please welcome, hailing from the urban downtown of Toad Town (Paper Mario reference!), Dr. Mario!"

Frozen to his seat, the plumber gripped his fingers onto the armrests of his chair. Sweat beaded on his brow, and his teeth began to chatter.

This isn't happening, this isn't happening, this isn't happening...

The doctor's sly smirk and cocky battle stance (is that really how he stood?) was all too real. Mario felt like he couldn't move. No one else seemed to notice Marios problem, everyone was politely clapping for the doctor and waiting for the next newcomer to be announced.

The doctor nonchalantly waltzed over to the seats, and stood above the red clad plumber, towering over him. He held out his hand. "Hello again. Come with me; we must speak alone."

Mario couldn't think straight, and suddenly found himself nodding and standing up. Why did I do that? Stupid, stupid, stupid... He would've facepalmed if he hadn't felt so numb.

The doctor lead him out to a corridor just outside a closet in one of the less-visited parts Of the mansion. "Don't want any eavesdroppers, now do we?" Mario nidded nervously.

The doctor turned around and crossed his arms, looking intently at the plumber. "Mario Jumpman Mario, hero of the Mushroom Kingdom. How nice to see you again. You look good, healthy. How's the princess?"

"uh..."

"Must be nice being a hero, mustn't it? All the fame and glory..." The doctor gently reached up and removed Mario's hat. "Yes... Fame and glory..."

Without knowing what happened next, the doctor gave a maniacal laugh and shoved Mario into the supply closet. "You fool, Mario! Letting your guard down and allowing me to lead you away from protection. Not your best move, I'd say..."

He placed the red cap in his head over his stethoscope-thing on his head (don't know the name...) and slammed the door in Mario's face.

"I'll get rid of you later, Jumpman. I have more important things to do.

With you out of the way, I can play the hero for once in my life. I was always rejected for being a clone of you, but now Peach will give me some of that promised cake, and no one will know the difference if you're locked away and I look like you."

He removed his doctor's coat, and threw it in the floor to reveal an outfit exactly the same as Mario's. Mario tried to cry for help. "Luigi! Bro! HELP-A ME! PLEASE! SOMEBODY!"

The doctor kicked the door. "Shut up! No one can hear you scream."

He swiftly turned around and swiftly walked away. "Remember me, Mario Mario. Remember the horor and genius that is Doctor Mario."

**Sheesh, Doctor Mario is a jerk! What's gonna happen to our -favorite- plumber? **

**Well, you'll find out in like three chapters... I'm going to take a little break from Mario right now.**

**Oh, and I'm a Beta Reader, and accepting requests! Come one, come all! **

**Please?**

**I'll see you all later,**

**StarRod **


	5. Us

Us

There were just the two of them now.

The boy and the girl.

Trudging together through the deep snow.

The girl, usually the optimistic type, was now silent. Her mouth was curved in a deep frown and she gripped her wooden mallet protectively. She constantly looked around her, as if she was afraid something was coming for them, chasing them. She looked close to tears.

The boy put a comforting hand on the girl's shoulder and gave her a soft smile when she turned to him. She smiled back, though her lip began to quiver. The boy noticed and stopped walking, pulling the girl close into a hug. Snow began to accumulate around them, but neither of them seemed to care. The girl began to cry, tears freezing to her young face as the blizzard around them continued.

As the pair hugged, the boy looked up towards a tall mountain.

Their destination.

He slowly turned his head to where he could see where they had come from. You could barely see it, but up on a hill in the distance, was the place the boy and the girl had run away from.

The Smash Mansion.

They had to get away from the mansion and towards the mountains.

As grateful as they were, the duo did not belong at the fighting tournament. They wanted to go back to their home, the small but cozy village in the beautiful glaciers of the north.

...Or, what was left of it, anyway.

-**_pagebreak_**-

The boy and the girl had once lived a happy life in a small village in the far north. The populace of the village was small, but it was entirely self-reliant. Crops were grown in the warmer months and then were stored for when the icy blizzards and storms of winter blew through the valley in which the village rested. The citizens of the town all had different jobs, and all had a good income and a warm house.

The boy's mother was a carpenter. She fixed various buildings and contraptions, mostly with her trusty wooden mallet. Once she had found that she was good at woodworking, she even made her own contraptions, and had even fashioned a smaller version of the mallet for her son. The boy's mother was a thin woman, with long, soil brown hair and sparkling blue eyes that lit up whenever a project of hers was completed. The woman was extremely hardworking and persistent; once she started something, she wouldn't stop until it was completed. The boy had always admired her for that trait.

The girl's father was a blacksmith. Their house was always warm and a crackling fire was always in the several furnaces around the house. Her father was a tall, muscular man with callused hands, burned arms, and a large mustache. He had a big, throaty laugh that echoed around whatever room he was in, and his daughter's giggles were almost always soon to follow. The girl loved her father more than anything else in the world, and always wanted to be like him. She had even begged for a steel hammer of her own, one just like the hammer her father used. Then, one day when he had just gotten paid a considerable amount of money for making a sword for a traveling guard, he went and had someone make her a mallet out of wood. The girl's eyes had lit up in delight and she hugged her father tighter than ever, grinning with glee.

All had gone well for the two children, who lived a happy life in the little snowy village.

Well, it had been a happy life until the Avalanche struck.

They both remembered the event as if it was yesterday- Both children had been sleeping soundly in their respective houses, warm and comfortable. Then, suddenly, there had been a deep rumbling, a noise like Thunder booming around the entire village. There had been shaking too, like an earthquake. The boy had awoken at this terrifying noise and by his mother's stern orders had quickly put on a coat, packed a bag, and ran, but the girl was a sound sleeper and had to be risen by her panicked father.

"Quick, Darling. Get up and get your parka and ice shoes on."

"H-huh? Daddy, what's wrong?"

"There's going to be an avalanche. Sweetheart, I know you're sleepy, but your life depends on getting out and as far away from the village as you can. I'll meet up with you later, Darling, I promise."

"W-where are you goin'?"

"I'm going to stay and help people evacuate. I promise I'll see you again Darling, now go. That way I'll know you're safe."

Her father had kissed her forehead and given her a warm smile before running out towards the town square. The girl quickly followed her father's instructions: she quickly put a change of clothes into a worn knapsack, pulled on clothes and her thickest pink parka, and left the house, bidding it a quiet goodbye before bolting as far away from the town as she could.

There was a boy standing knee deep in snow, looking back at the town in utter shock, when she finally slowed down fifteen minutes later. The girl had not turned her back the entire run, but instead focused on her destination while fat tears ran down her young face, and so had only heard the final, booming rumblings of the Avalanche as it destroyed the only place the two of them had ever known.

Wordlessly, the girl took ahold of the boy's hand, and tried her hardest to give him a reassuring smile as she looked as his face. The two looked a lot alike, but then again, everyone did in the small town. Most everyone had the same pale complexion, freckles, blue eyes and soil brown hair. His strikingly similar appearance didn't surprise the girl in the slightest.

He hugged her tightly, beginning to sob into the girls shoulder, and the girl began to cry with him. Knowing full well that her father would not be able to meet up with her later, or ever again.

-**_pagebreak_**-

The boy didn't know how long they trekked, but he did know that he was hungrier than he had ever been in his life. They had run out of food and money several days ago, and his stomach rumbles in hunger as looked around, the girl gripping her mallet at his side. Then, suddenly, the girl cried out and pointed towards a hill in the horizon.

"Look! A house!"

The boy curiously raised an eyebrow. "Are you sure that's a house? Looks more like a hundred houses stacked on top of each other."

The girl brightened. "Who cares? Maybe they'll let us stay a while if we ask politely!" She said with an optimistic grin, and began to run towards the huge mansion. The boy chuckled to himself as he chased after the girl.

The parka-clad children rang the doorbell hopefully, and soon enough a young, green clothed and blonde boy with pointy ears answered the door. He gave them a confused look, as if to inquire who they were and what they were doing here.

"Please," the boy said, using his best polite voice that had always worked wonders on his mother, "Can we see the head of this household? We desperately need food and a place to stay."

The elf-boy nodded almost immediately, and invited them in wordlessly before going off and then returning with a large and floating gloved hand.

The two stared.

The hand waved off the staring, probably used to it. "Hello, children. My name is Master Hand; I run the annual Smash tournament here at the Smash Mansion. Now, Young Link here tells me that you two are in need of food and a place to stay."

"Yes, sir," the girl interrupted, giving Master Hand a pleading look, "Our village was d-d-destroyed by an a-avalanche and we have n-nowhere to go! P-please have pity on us, sir..." She blubbered at the Hand.

The hand seemed to nod, if that was possible. "I see. I heard about that awful rock slide up north about a month ago, and it would be incredibly rude to turn you children away...

Tell you what: I'll make you a deal. You may stay here as long as you wish, everything will be paid for, you'll have clothing, food, friends, the works. All that I ask in return is that the two of you fight together in my fighting tournament, just like the other contestants. Seem fair?"

The duo eagerly nodded at this proposition, holding their wooden mallets closer to themselves. The hand seemed to smile. "Now, what are your names, dear children?"

The boy grinned up at Master Hand. "Oh, I'm Popo and she's Nana! But you can call us the Ice Climbers!"

**AHHHHHH THIS TOOK SO LONNNG TO WRITTTEEEE**

**I STARTED WRITING THIS CHAPTER IN APRIL**

**A P RI L**

**I PROMISE YOU THAT WILL NOT HAPPEN AGAIN**

**-StarRod**


	6. Mask of the Red Death

_The boy didn't want to fight._

_That was his brother standing in front of him, for God's sake. His _twin_ brother. He could never hurt him. All he could do was defend himself after every attack, not wanting to even lay a finger on one of the few people in his family who was still living.._

_The mask his twin had adorned clanged to the floor, revealing the swept red hair and startling blue eyes of his brother. He stared at him, and he could see his brother's hands shaking slightly as he released another Psychic attack._

_His memories are coming back._

_He could start to hear his mother's voice, again, after what felt like ages.. He had missed it so much... _

_She was talking softly to his brother, pleading for him to remember who he was, who that blond child standing in front of him was, begging for him to give up his onslaught and to take care of their father, who had most likely bled to death while the brothers battled. Pleading softly for him to remember who he was..._

_His brother... His twin who looked so much like him but didn't act at all alike... He refused to fall to his knees and surrender. They were crying now, he and his brother, both were crying for the tyranny to end and to just return home..._

_His brother was no longer gazing at his face. His gaze had drifted downwards, from his red and yellow striped shirt which was dirty and torn and to the shining badge that was fastened to it. _

_The Franklin Badge..._

_Oh no._

_H-he...he wasn't..._

_Oh no..._

_He was._

_The infamous Franklin Badge had the incredible ability to reflect all electrical attacks. His twin knew this as well as he did, and he could tell that his brother was getting the last idea the boy wanted put into action._

_Before he could say or do anything except cry out in shock, his twin brother with the fiery red hair fired an electrical attack directly at the Franklin Badge._

_He watched slowly, as though frozen in time, the Lightning bolt reflecting off the badge and striking his twin brother right in the heart._

"CLAUS!"

The boy sat up straight in his bed, panting heavily and drenched in cold sweat. He clutched at his chest, almost hyperventilating as anxiety overtook him. It took several minutes for his breathing to return to normal, though his hands were still shaking.

For what seemed like the thousandth time, the boy was glad his roommate Ness was a deep sleeper.

The blond child had been plagued with nightmares ever since his mother died so long ago, and they had increased in severity in the following years, what with the adventures he's had to undertake and the death of his brother.

But the blond had kept most of this quiet, not wanting to disturb any of the residents of the Smash Mansion with his problems. Most knew next to nothing about his past, and none knew about his nightmares or anxiety.

The boy jumped in surprise when there was a soft knock at the door. He gulped, wondering who on earth would be awake at this hour of the night. He stuttered slightly as he replied, "Uh, c-come in."

The door slowly opened and a somewhat menacing silhouette appeared at the door. The boy tilted his head, puzzled, as the short, round figure of Meta Knight entered the room.

The boy stared. What in the name of Mother was Meta Knight doing here?

Meta Knight looked him over with golden, glowing eyes. "Are you alright, child?" The knight asked in his usual low timbre, "I heard a scream and checked to see if you were in need of assistance."

There was a pause as the child's face turned pink in embarrassment. Meta Knight, one of the strongest fighters in the entire Smash Tournament, caught him screaming like a baby after one of his stupid nightmares. The blond had always admired Meta Knight for his strength and courage, ever since he had saved himself and the Pokemon Trainer Red during the Subspace incident. And now he looked weak and pathetic in front of someone he had looked up to.

"I-I'm f-fine." He managed to stutter out, cheeks burning now, "Just a dr-dream."

Meta Knight gave him a look, raising a nonexistent eyebrow. The boy worried about what he was going to say next, but then Meta Knight drew aside his deep purple cape and held out a gloved hand to him. "I see. Then would you like something to drink downstairs? I find hot cocoa helps me when I have trouble sleeping."

The boy wiped his cheeks to make sure no tears were there, then smiled shakily. His mouth was pretty dry... With that he cautiously climbed down from the top bunk of his bed.

"I'd l-like that. Th-thank you, Sir Meta Kn-Knight."

The caped figure nodded in reply and together they walked silently down to the first floor of the Smash Mansion. The kitchen was deserted for the first time since the boy had been at the tournament. He gave Meta Knight a small smile.

"I can see why you eat so early. You can get to the food you want without Kirby and Wario eating it all."

The boy could've sworn he heard a chuckle from behind the mask of the normally expressionless Knight. "That's not the only reason, but yes. Sit down, and I'll see if I can find some suitable ingredients."

The blond sat down on a tall barstool in the island of the Smash kitchen, resting his elbows on the counter and watching the azure knight use a stepladder to reach the cabinets.

He would help, but honestly, he wasn't that much taller than Meta Knight.

It also gave him time to think, to trace little patterns on the smooth white countertop, to stare at the sleeves of the striped pajamas that he had borrowed from Ness, and to think. He heard the steady hum of a microwave and the unwrapping of a package, but didn't look up. Meta Knight obviously had it under control.

A few minutes later the knight handed him a steaming mug of hot cocoa stuffed with marshmallows and stood on the barstool across from him, setting his own cup on the counter. He couldn't help a smile. "Thank you. You didn't have to do this just for me."

"Of course I do, you are my friend and I are about your well being. Now drink up, before it gets too cold."

The blond sipped at his cocoa, cupping the mug with both hands. This did help...

Meta Knight broke the calm silence with a small cough. "My child, would it be alright with you if I took off my mask? I need to do so to drink my hot chocolate."

The boy gaped at him. "R-really? I mean I guess so, but you never-"

"Well, one has a reputation to uphold, I suppose. I prefer not to show my face, but I trust you to keep a secret." And with a wink, Meta Knight unbuckled the strap of his mask and quietly removed it.

The child gaped at him in surprise and shock. Many people had swapped rumors about what was under the mask when the Dreamlander hadn't been around, but none of the guesses that he'd overheard had come close.

Meta Knight had large, silver eyes that shone in the dim light, and the boy honestly couldn't tell if he was blind or not. He had rosy cheeks and a scar on his left cheek, right under his eye. But he shocking thing was how much he looked like Kirby. Sweet, innocent Kirby, how he looked so alike but so different from Meta Knight. The knight's features had hardened, and he didn't have a wide grin like his pink counterpart, but he had a small sad smile that reminded him of the one his father would give on the days where the boy was too sad to get out of bed, and when his father would sit on the bed and sing a lullaby that had been passed through the family for generations.

But the parallels were too perfect, too cruel...

A masked soldier and his innocent twin...

The boy felt tears begin to leak from his eyes, and he mentally scolded himsef for showing the weakness. Meta Knight looked a little surprised by his reaction, and quickly reached out a gloved hand.

"What's wrong? The usual reaction is to laugh at my... 'Cute' appearance."

The blond hastily tried to wipe his eyes, feeling a blush of shame creep up. "Nothing much... It's just... It reminds me of me and my brother..."

And he was off, Meta Knight patiently listening as the boy recounted his entire adventure, and how Porky had kidnapped and brainwashed his double, how he had to collect the seven needles, how he adventured with Kumatora, Duster, and his dog Boney. About Flint and Hinawa and Doctor Andonuts and the chimeras and all the scary things that had happened in between. He had recounted what had happened with Claus and had been talking faster and faster and had hiccuped through the tears but he just kept going, and he reveled in how better he felt that he was getting this out in the open.

When his story was over, he slowly looked up at the blue knight, and was shocked to see that he was crying. They were silent tears, but his cute face held an expression of deep sorrow and empathy.

"Oh, child, to have you go through such trials at such a young age is torture. I offer my deepest condolences for your losses."

The boy nodded, not able to look into the knight's eyes.

"Yet I know how you feel. I was forced into war early and watched many of my close friends lose their lives. To lose a loved one is a sorrow that is too awful to even explain.

But I have known you since the Brawl Tournament, and you have matured considerably. You're growing up, my child. You have experience pain far too early, but you will grow stronger and kinder for it. I know."

They both had finished their cocoa. The blond collected the cups and put everything away, red in the face and his frayed mind cycling through every thing the small knight had told him. He didn't know if he should try to speak. But when the mugs were cleaned and put away, the boy who gew up leaned against the sink and looked at his friend and mentor. "I needed this. Thank you, Sir Meta Knight. Thanks a lot. I think I might be able to sleep now."

And with a watery grin, the boy who grew up gave a hug to the knight, who stiffened, obviously not used to the contact. The boy let go then, and sighed in relief, feeling more brave than he had in months. And Meta knight couldn't help a smile and a small shake of his head as he replaced his mask. The child certainly was going places. "You're quite welcome, Lucas."

**Okay, PSA: I've never played Mother 3 so I really hoped I got the story and everything right! But this was fun to make; I always thought Meta Knight and Lucas would get along well, and some bonding over masks is always a fun subject.**

**I'm sorry I've taken so long to write things... I don't even know what's happened, I kinda lost my muse, but I think I'm gettin' it back!**

**Please tell me what you think! And suggest some characters for future chapters, I want to get back in the swing of things!**

**Star**

**PS: If you know the lullaby I will love you forever ;)**


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